Courtesy PID
Confirmed infections reach 649,824, against 593,282 recoveries and 14,158 deaths, leaving 40,384 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday reported 4,468 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 44,279 tests—a positivity ratio of 10.09 percent.
The Pakistan Peoples Party on Friday cancelled a demonstration planned for Rawalpindi on April 4 due to the high incidence of coronavirus in Punjab. The public gathering commemorating the death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was delayed on the advice of the Health Ministry, which had warned that with COVID-19 on the rise in Punjab, there was a great public health risk if it were to go forward.
Despite passing through two waves of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 61,177, with daily testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan’s testing policies only record the most symptomatic patients—a belief substantiated by a Punjab government official as the “most efficient use of resources”—while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers, which studies suggest comprise the majority of infections nationwide.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 649,824 (Tests: 10,021,070)
Punjab – 210,095
Sindh – 264,355
Balochistan – 19,453
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 83,630
Islamabad – 55,056
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,990
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 12,245
Deaths – 14,158
Recoveries – 593,282
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 649,824. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 67 to 14,158. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,137 to 593,282, or 91.3 percent of total infections. There are currently 42,384 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,842 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 48 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 6,190. The province now has 210,095 confirmed cases; it reported 2,330 new infections after conducting 16,473 tests, a positivity ratio of 14.14 percent. There were 1,245 new recoveries recorded, leaving 182,596 fully recovered, and 21,309 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 264,355; it reported 293 new infections on Saturday after conducting 11,134 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.63 percent. The province reported 1 new death, raising toll to 4,487, while its recoveries rose by 112 to 255,511. Overall, the province now has 4,357 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 953 new infections after conducting 8,029 tests, a positivity ratio of 11.87 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 83,630. It recorded 14 new deaths, raising toll to 2,274, while its recoveries have risen by 559 to 74,040. There are currently 7,316 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Saturday raised its confirmed cases to 19,453 with 26 new infections after conducting 656 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.96 percent. There were no deaths and 20 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 205 fatalities and 19,023 fully recovered. There are now 225 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 709 to 55,056 after conducting 6,601 tests; a positivity ratio of 10.74 percent. There were 2 deaths and 145 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 557 casualties; 46,623 recovered; and 7,876 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 7 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday after conducting 311 tests; it now has 4,990 confirmed cases. The region reported no new deaths or recoveries, leaving 103 fatalities and 4,858 fully recovered people. There are currently 29 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 150 to 12,245 after conducting 1,075 tests, a positivity ratio of 13.95 percent. There were 2 deaths and 56 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 342 fatalities and 10,631 fully recovered. It now has 1,272 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 126,702,229 people, with over 2,779,769 reported deaths. After a devastating first wave, the world is now slowly recovering from a second wave of the coronavirus, aided in part by the launch of vaccination campaigns. Overall, around 102,163,770 patients of the 126.7 million+ infected have recovered thus far.